Nawaz intent on minorities
Amritsar, May 13 (ANI): In a major initiative, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) which has registered a landslide victory in Pakistan elections, today nominated first Sikh member Ramesh Singh Arora to the provincial assembly.
This move is being seen as a step ahead to address various issues confronting the Sikh community in Pakistan.
Arora is already member of Pakistan's National Minority Commission and runs an NGO successfully for the rights of the citizens.
He told Asian News International (ANI) that he was happy to be nominated to the assembly and it would help him to raise the minority issues in the right platform.
"It is an honour that I accept with humility. There are so many minority community related issues which would be my priority," he said.
"The newly elected PML-N party, which is all set to form federal government, has given a signal of its intention to strike a chord with the minorities who had been facing numerous problems in Muslim-dominated Pakistan," said Shaikh Azahr, who is a senior member of Pakistan Evacuee Trust Property Board.
Besides various Hindu and Christian worship places, there are about 172 historical Sikh shrines in Pakistan
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Now, Imran Khan's PTI nominates Sikh to provincial assembly in Pakistan
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Amritsar, May 14 (ANI): Swarn Singh is being nominated by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to the provincial assembly.
He is the second Sikh to be appointed as a member of the provincial assembly as Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had earlier after registering a landslide victory in the Pakistan elections nominated Ramesh Singh Arora to the provincial assembly.
Swarn Singh was the former President of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).
Now with Pakistan all set to have two Sikhs as members of the provincial assembly, this will give a platform for Sikhs to take up various Sikh issues, including the upkeeping of the Gurdwaras situated in Pakistan.
Notably, there are 172 historical Sikh shrines situated in Pakistan. However, Pakistan allowed the Sikh devotees from abroad to visit only six of them.
Recently, Pakistan had denied visas to members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) following which the organization responsible for the upkeep of gurdwaras in India has already registered its protests with Pakistan.
The Sikh diaspora has welcomed this move, saying the appointment of Sikhs in Pakistan assembly would help in solving contentious issues and now the pilgrim visa reforms can be taken up.
The diaspora, including American Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee Coordinator Dr. Pritpal Singh, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, former President of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Paramjit Singh Sarna and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Partap Singh Bajwa have also hailed Pakistan's move.
Ahsan Iqbal, a member of the national assembly from Narowal district, while talking to Asian News International (ANI) said the world will now see changes in shrine, safety and security of minorities in Pakistan